Iran Protests Swell in Bazaar

Authorities arrest hundreds and disrupt internet as currency falls to new low

BY BENOIT FAUCON

Iranian authorities met a large protest in the Tehran Grand Bazaar on Tuesday with a heavy police response, as the unrest extended into a second week and the currency fell to a new low.

Videos posted on social media showed crowds of demonstrators gathering in the capital’s central market—the beating heart of Iran’s economy.

The protesters then rushed out as tear gas spread in the narrow alleyways and a nearby metro station, according to footage verified by Storyful, which is owned by News Corp, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal.

Police also fired tear gas into the grounds of Sina Hospital, roughly 1.7 miles north of the bazaar, according to verified footage.

The Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the gatherings were scattered and posted pictures of people walking by in nearby streets.

The protests started in late December among merchants angered by the fast drop of Iran’s currency, and have since taken a political turn, pulling in students and others who chanted antiregime slogans.

On Tuesday, the protesters chanted against rising prices and denounced Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.

Central to Iran’s economic problems are tight international sanctions.

Tehran and Washington have engaged in talks about Iran’s nuclear program that could have led to relief, but Iran’s leaders refused to budge on a demand that they stop enriching uranium.

Iran’s problem worsened in the aftermath of a disastrous war with Israel that followed in June.

The currency has lost about 60% of its value against the dollar since the summer, driving inflation to new highs.

The Iranian rial weakened Tuesday to 1.47 million to the dollar, a new low.

The government has acknowledged the economic complaints of the protesters but has used its security forces in hopes of keeping the demonstrations under control.

At least 1,200 people have been arrested and at least 29 killed in unrest that has spread to 88 cities, the group Human Rights Activists in Iran said late Monday.

Authorities also implemented localized internet disruptions to interfere with communication among protesters, the group said.

Online traffic abruptly fell by an average 40% in Iran on Sunday compared with the seven previous days, and again by 9% early Tuesday, according to cybersecurity company Cloudflare. The traffic then went back to normal, Cloudflare data shows.

President Trump said Friday the U.S. was “locked and loaded” to come to the aid of Iranian protesters if authorities start shooting them.

A day later, the U.S. military launched strikes on the capital of Venezuela, an Iran ally, and brought leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to the U.S. to face criminal charges. The operation has raised uncertainty around how far the president is willing to go in Iran.

At a large pro-government demonstration in the central city of Isfahan on Tuesday, attendees carried banners criticizing inflation and slogans in favor of price controls, while chanting anti-American slogans.

Iranian security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters angry about the drop of Iran’s currency in the Tehran Grand Bazaar. UGC/ AFP/ GETTY IMAGES